CRB: Plant Longevity and Life-form Diversity in Reconstructed Tropical Ecosystems

我们恢复热带生态系统的能力， 可持续的，有用的热带森林类似物取决于我们的 能够种植生态上 兼容. 这项研究将评估物种的混合物 可能以互补的方式利用空间和土壤资源， 使他们能够充分利用 在保护土壤的同时，提高湿热带的生产力。 三种生命形式的植物（那些自我支持， 有宽的，水平展示的叶子;那些 . J H.支持，有狭窄，直立或直立的叶子;和藤本植物） 三个寿命（几个月到几十年）将是 在洛杉矶种植一种、两种或三种植物的组合 哥斯达黎加的塞尔瓦生物站。 的性能 花园将通过测量生长，光捕获， 水的使用和营养保留。 的效率 使用资源的简单和复杂社区可能 在增长的头两年大幅改善， 更长寿的植物很可能在群落年龄 增大 因为有害物种的入侵 对维持本地生物多样性很重要， 人工群落将进行抗入侵试验 本地和外来植物的影响。

Our ability to restore tropical ecosystems and to construct sustainable, useful analogs of tropical forests depends on our ability to grow communities of plants that are ecologically compatible. This research will evaluate mixtures of species likely to use space and soil resources in complementary ways, enabling them to take good advantage of the high potential productivity of the humid tropics while protecting the soil. Plants of three life forms (those that are self.supporting and have broad, horizontally displayed leaves; those that are self . J H.supporting, with narrow, erect or arching leaves; and vines) and three life spans (several months to many decades) will be grown in combinations of one, two, or three species at the La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. The performance of the gardens will be evaluated by measuring growth, light capture, water use, and nutrient retention. The efficiency with which simple and complex communities use resources is likely to improve dramatically during the first two years of growth, and longer.lived plants are likely to excel as community age increases. Because invasions by unwanted species are so important to the maintenance of native biodiversity, each artificial community will be tested for resistance to invasion by native and exotic plants.